Wrath
by DBSean
Summary: At first, Adora saw only darkness. All was quiet. All was still. Then she heard the screaming. Shadow Weaver has returned. Catra is in danger. And Adora has a promise to keep.


" **Wrath"**

 **A/N: I received such a positive response to "Black and White" that I was inspired to write even more Catradora! So, here you go!**

 **Head's up; this one is a bit of a roller coaster.**

At first, Adora saw only darkness. All was quiet. All was still.

Then she heard the screaming.

It came from everywhere and from nowhere, surrounding Adora on every side and filling her to the brim with terror. Each scream grew louder and louder the longer Adora listened, but it wasn't the source or the volume of the screams that worried her so: it was the intensity of the pain that accompanied them, each scream filled with so much unimaginable agony that Adora felt her very senses would be overwhelmed.

Just as Adora was beginning to fear the screaming would go on forever, two figures began to emerge from out of the darkness, as though summoned. The first was tall and powerful, whereas the second looked small and vulnerable, and it was from the second that all of the screaming originated. Still, so thick was the darkness that it took several moments for Adora to finally recognize the figures, but when she did, she did so with nothing but horror.

Shadow Weaver stood towering over her victim, larger and more powerful than Adora had ever seen her before. Tendrils of darkness and bolts of crimson lightning surged through her form, and most of it was directed at the screaming figure lying crumpled at her feet.

Catra.

"That's it, my dear, _scream_ for me," Shadow Weaver spoke, her voice as cold and heartless as ever. "Oh, how I have _longed_ for this day. How succulently I savor the sweet taste of your suffering."

The sorceress did not cease her torture as she spoke, but instead only doubled her efforts, causing Catra to scream and cry in agonizing pain as fiery bolts of red lightning surged throughout her form, burning her inside and out. She wanted to struggle, _tried_ to struggle, but it was no use; Shadow Weaver's power was simply too great.

"I'll kill you for this…" Catra gasped between shocks, fighting just to catch her breath before Shadow Weaver continued her assault. "I swear…I'll kill you…"

"Then you swear _falsely_ ," Shadow Weaver responded, firing yet another blast of magical energy at Catra, powerful enough to send the warrior flying backwards. "You have failed the Horde for the last time, Catra. I always knew you were a disappointment. A _weak link_. And Lord Hordak does _so_ hate weak links."

"If you're gonna kill me, Shadow Weaver…then just shut up and do it already," Catra spat out angrily, her entire form sizzling and her legs too weak to carry her weight.

"Alas, I do not intend to kill you, dear Catra," Shadow Weaver answered, cruel sadism flashing in her masked eyes. "At least…not yet. Not until you _beg_ for it."

"Never," Catra hissed weakly.

"Oh, but you will," continued the sorceress. "This is only the beginning. The pain you feel now is _nothing_ compared to what I have in store for you. By the time I am finished with you, you will beg for the sweet release of death. But not until you have suffered the full extent of my wrath. You will feel pain as no one before you has _ever_ felt pain, Catra. And it will be _exquisite_."

And with that, the screaming began anew.

Adora woke with a start, sitting straight up in her bed in Bright Moon Palace with a cry on her lips. Gone was the darkness, gone was the screaming. Only a word remained, a single word, and it was this that Adora shouted to the empty room.

"Catra!"

 _This is all Adora's fault._

That was the thought that Catra found repeating itself in her head again and again as she struggled to remain conscious, lying as she was on the cold steel floor of her cell. Shadow Weaver had tired of torturing her for the night, promising to continue their 'activities' in the morning, and had thus consigned Catra to a singular cell deep within the confines of the Fright Zone, far from the primary prison complex.

Every muscle – no, every _nerve_ – in Catra's body felt like it was on fire, and it hurt just to exist in a physical capacity. Her arms and legs were covered in cuts and bruises, and much of her fur had been burnt or singed by Shadow Weaver's destructive lightning. Catra wanted nothing more than to welcome the darkness, to escape the pain she felt, if only for a little while, but she knew if she lost consciousness now there was a good chance she would never wake. So she kept herself conscious the only way she knew how: through sheer spite, by reminding herself again and again who was really at fault for her current predicament.

Adora.

 _If Adora was here, this never would have happened_ , Catra reminded herself again and again, relying on her anger to keep her awake and aware. _It's all her fault for leaving me. None of this would be happening if she hadn't abandoned me!_

Shadow Weaver had caught Catra by surprise only hours before while she was on a routine patrol through the Fright Zone. Catra wasn't even aware that Shadow Weaver had been freed; last she saw of the sorceress, she was being dragged away and imprisoned after her connection to the Black Garnet runestone had been destroyed. Hordak had evidently forgiven Shadow Weaver for her transgressions against him. It didn't help that she seemed to have found a new, more powerful runestone – one strong enough to amplify her already considerable magical powers far beyond their previous limitations.

If Adora had been there, however, Shadow Weaver would never have caught her by surprise, Catra was convinced. If Adora hadn't abandoned her to join the Rebellion, Shadow Weaver would never have grown to hate Catra with such a passion. In fact, Catra realized, every hardship she had experienced in the last few months had stemmed from Adora choosing to leave the Horde.

 _Adora promised we would always have each other_ , Catra reminded herself. _She said nothing bad would happen so long as we have each other. But she broke her promise! She abandoned me! It's all Adora's fault!_

Catra had no idea how long she lay on the cold floor cursing both Adora and Shadow Weaver; she was in such great pain that time seemed to slow down, and it hurt just to breathe. The room outside of the cell was empty, save for the controls to the laser field and the heavy (and no doubt locked) steel door leading into the room. Catra saw nothing, heard nothing, to indicate that time was even passing at all.

Then, suddenly, the sounds of chaos.

Her feline senses seemed to detect the sounds of a commotion even before Catra had registered the fact in her own mind, her skilled ears perking up and widening to better find the source of the disturbance.

Even through the laser field and the thick steel walls of her cell, Catra could hear the familiar sounds of conflict. First came the shouting, loud and plentiful, orders being given out and soldiers falling before their enemy. Steel clashed against steel, lasers were fired, explosions echoed in the distance. Whatever was going on, it sounded bad.

And it was getting closer.

It took just about the last of Catra's strength for her to get back up on her feet, but she pushed through the pain; whoever was out there, whatever was causing all the destruction and chaos she heard, she was determined to meet it head-on and on her feet. If she was going to die, she was going to die standing, and there was nothing Shadow Weaver or anyone else could do to convince her otherwise.

Then, suddenly, the violent din came to a startling end right outside the room. There were a couple more screams, some _thuds_ , and then silence. Catra waited.

 _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

Someone – or _something_ – was pounding against the steel door with such force that it was beginning to crumple in on itself like tissue paper. Screws popped and metal grinded against metal as the door was seemingly torn apart by some unseen force.

 _KROOM!_

Despite her best attempts, Catra nonetheless found herself falling to her knees out of pure surprise when the steel door finally broke free of its hinges and collapsed into the room, falling to the ground with a deafening _thud_. She squinted through the hazy laser field of her cell, hoping to see who or what had come for her, and, when she did, her heart skipped a beat.

"Adora?"

There she stood, transformed into the legendary She-Ra, a mighty sword in her hand and an aura of light all about her. Catra had seen Adora transformed dozens of times, but she never truly got used to seeing her friend ( _former_ friend) in such a way, a golden crown upon her brow and a brilliant cape billowing behind her. She entered the room, and their eyes meet.

Adora's immediately face fell.

"Catra!" she cried out, leaping over the fallen steel door and landing right in front of the laser field. Her eyes widened as she looked at Catra, immediately noticing her wounds and bruises, and she felt her heart break a little more. "Oh, Catra. What has Shadow Weaver done to you?"

"Forget me, what are _you_ doing here?" Catra asked confusedly, still using what little strength she had left just to remain conscious.

Adora smiled sadly. "What does it look like I'm doing, dummy? I'm here to rescue you."

Catra blinked. "You're… _what_?!"

Of all the responses Catra had anticipated, hearing the legendary She-Ra claim she had come all the way to Fright Zone just to rescue her was most certainly not one of them. As such, she watched in both disbelief and relief as Adora began studying the nearby controls, evidently trying to figure out how to disable the laser field.

Then Catra remembered she was mad at Adora, and her demeanor changed entirely.

"I told you before, Adora, I don't need saving!" she exclaimed angrily, and unconvincingly, considering she was still on all fours and looked about ready to faint at the drop of a dime.

"You could have fooled me," Adora responded dryly. "Now stand back."

As Catra watched, Adora punched the controls with such force that she destroyed all of them in a burst of sparks and wires, even indenting the wall as she did so. The laser field trapping Catra in her cell flickered a few times and then vanished entirely, depleted of its power supply.

Adora was in the cell the moment the laser field disappeared, falling to her knees so she could better examine Catra, her eyes quickly memorizing every cut and bruise on her friend's body.

"Hey, Adora," Catra said softly, trying not to wince in pain as she smirked.

Adora smiled back softly. "Hey, Catra."

"I mean it. You really shouldn't be here," Catra went on, her face falling. "Shadow Weaver, Hordak…they'll kill you for this."

"I don't care about them," Adora said, and with such determination that Catra genuinely believed her. "I promised you I would always be there for you. That nothing bad would ever happen so long as we were together. I broke that promise. I'm here to fix that."

"We're supposed to enemies!" Catra insisted, wincing as she did so.

Adora simply shook her head. "You've never been my enemy, Catra. I don't care how long it takes or how low you go…I'm never going to give up on you. Now, come on. Let's get you up."

Catra knew it was going to hurt, and steeled herself appropriately, but still felt every nerve ending in her body scream out in pain as she felt She-Ra gently lift her off the ground. Once she was on her feet, Catra wrapped one arm around Adora's shoulders, allowing the mighty warrior to support her.

"You okay?" Adora asked gently.

"I'm pretty far from 'okay,'" Catra muttered, still wincing. "But I can stand."

"I'm so sorry, Catra," Adora said, frowning with concern. "I should have been here sooner. I should never have let this happen to you."

"How did you even know to come?" Catra asked weakly. "Is that sword of yours psychic or something? I need to get one."

Adora smiled weakly. "I know how it's going to sound, but…I had a dream about you. I saw Shadow Weaver torturing you, and I felt how much pain you were in, and…and I knew it was real. I just knew. Maybe it was the sword. I don't know."

"A dream?" Catra repeated. She frowned. Something about that didn't feel right to her.

Then it hit her, and she felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"Adora, you have to get out of here!" Catra exclaimed, her eyes widening with concern. Her pain seemed to subside for the moment, replaced by the cold and creeping feeling of true fear. "Forget about me! Just get out of the Fright Zone! Now!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Adora insisted with a frown, already preparing to carry Catra the entire way if she needed to.

"No, Adora, it wasn't a dream!" Catra tried to explain. "It's a – "

 _KRAKOOM!_

' _It's a trap_.'

That's what Catra had meant to say, but she was unable to finish her statement before a blast of black magic greater than any she had ever seen before struck She-Ra out of nowhere and sent both of them tumbling backwards into the cell.

Even through the pain of falling, Catra was able to hear She-Ra's scream of agony and watch as the legendary warrior reverted back to Adora, the Sword of Protection clattering to the ground beside her. Adora fell to her knees, eyes squeezed closed in pain, as bolts of red and black lightning surged throughout her entire form. It was a pain Catra knew all too well, having experienced it only hours before, and one she wished on no one, especially her savior.

"So good of you to finally join us, Adora," came the cold voice of Shadow Weaver as the sorceress slowly emerged from out of the shadows of the corner of the room. "I'm almost disappointed you came. I thought I had taught you better than to fall for such obvious subterfuge."

"Shadow Weaver…I don't…understand…" Adora gasped, in far too much pain to do anything else. Her sword was only a foot away, well within reach, but it might as well have been a mile away for all the good it did her; every nerve ending in her body was on fire, and she struggled just to speak.

"My dear Adora, you didn't really think your dreams were coming to life, did you?" Shadow Weaver asked mockingly, gliding over the floor with her hands steepled, as though wishing to examine her prey up close. "Lord Hordak has offered me a chance to redeem myself…in exchange for capturing the mighty _She-Ra_. And why waste time going after you when I can so easily make _you_ come to _me_? I knew you would come to rescue your little friend, after all. You can't help yourself…you never could when it came to her."

"You…tortured Catra…" Adora said between shocks, "to get to _me_?"

"Indeed," Shadow Weaver confirmed, coming to a stop right in front of the girl and glaring down at her with sadism gleaming in her masked eyes. Living shadows swirled about her like planets around a darkling star. "Catra was little more than bait. Though I must admit, I did find our time together quite… _delightful_."

With that, Shadow Weaver lifted one of her hands and commanded several tendrils of pure darkness to rise out of the ground and wrap themselves around Adora, lifting her off the ground and trapping her arms and legs. Adora tried to struggle, but it was no use, for every movement she made simply convinced the tendrils wrapped around her body to tighten even further, driving the breath from her lungs.

"Be quiet, now, Adora, and let me work my magic," Shadow Weaver whispered cruelly, eyes glowing with evil red light as she prepared her next spell. "When you wake up, you will remember none of this. Not the pain, not She-Ra, not even your little friend. You will know only what _I_ want you to know."

As Adora watched in horror, one of Shadow Weaver's hands began to glow with an evil red light she had seen once before, when she had led the Princess Alliance into the Fright Zone to rescue Glimmer and Bow. In a moment, Shadow Weaver's hand would be upon her brow, and her mind would be on fire as the sorceress attempted to wipe her brain clean of any happy memories.

Luckily for Adora, that was when Catra struck.

Fueled by over a decade of hatred and anger, as well as the desire to save Adora the fate of being tortured just as she had been, Catra pushed through the pain that wracked her entire body in hopes of making one last stand. Faster than the eye could see, she sprang upon Shadow Weaver with all the ferocity of a jungle cat, landing on the sorceress's back and digging her claws as deep into her flesh as they would go.

"Raaaaaagghh!" Shadow Weaver hollered uncharacteristically, her focus lost as she felt Catra's claws tear into her skin.

The shadowy tendrils wrapping themselves around Adora suddenly vanished into thin air, both freeing her and dropping her unceremoniously to the ground.

Then it was Catra's turn to cry out as a burst of crimson energy exploded from Shadow Weaver's cloaked body like a shockwave, blasting her off the sorceress's back and sending her flying into the nearby wall. Shadow Weaver was upon her a moment later, taller and more powerful than ever before, fueled as she was by pure rage and black magic.

"You _dare_ lay your hands upon me?!" Shadow Weaver bellowed, towering over Catra's wounded form as living shadows swirled about her, distorting her appearance into something even larger and more bestial. "I should have killed you when I had the chance, you miserable little ingrate! I raise you, I feed you, I give you a home…and _this_ is how you repay me?"

Despite herself, Catra found herself laughing through the pain and the fear. "I didn't come this far because of you, Shadow Weaver. I came this far _despite_ you. You never did anything but hold me back."

"How _dare_ you?!" Shadow Weaver repeated, her voice growing as deep and as dark as the shadows writhing around her form. "You have never been anything but a disappointment to me, Catra. I wasted my time ever trying to teach you anything!"

"Actually, there was one lesson you taught me that I took to heart," Catra informed her with a devilish smirk. "Always keep an eye on the cat…and another on the frying pan."

 _SHUCK!_

Whatever words Shadow Weaver had meant to utter next died on her lips as her torso exploded in pain unlike any the sorceress had ever before experienced. Slowly, painfully, she looked down to find the source of her agony…only to discover the glowing blue blade of the Sword of Protection protruding from out of her chest.

"No…" she muttered, her distorted eyes widening as she realized the truth. "Adora…"

"I won't be your puppet, Shadow Weaver," Adora responded coldly from behind her, having impaled the Sword of Protection as deeply into the sorceress's back as she could.

There was a sickening squelching sound as Adora withdrew the blade from out of Shadow Weaver's back, further causing the sorceress to collapse onto her knees on the floor. The shadows and darkness writhing around the evil woman faded away into nothing as her strength failed her and the last of her magic went with it. She lifted her head as Adora walked around and came to a stop in front of her, and when Shadow Weaver at last looked into the girl's eyes, she saw there no pity, no sympathy, no regret.

She saw nothing but wrath.

"You never understood, Shadow Weaver," Adora told her, standing between her and Catra, as she had stood between them her entire life. "Hurting my friends – _any_ of my friends – is a bad idea. If you really knew anything about me, you would know that. It doesn't make me weak; it doesn't make me predictable; it just makes me _angry_. And you hurt the one person I love most in this world. You hurt _Catra_."

"Adora…" Shadow Weaver gasped. The runestone atop her mask was blinking faintly, as though struggling to remain active. "P-Please. Mercy…"

"No," Adora said. Her eyes grew cold as she lifted the Sword of Protection and prepared to use it one last time. "No more mercy. No more chances. You're never going to hurt Catra – or _anyone_ – ever again."

And with that, Adora brought the Sword of Protection swinging downwards and removed Shadow Weaver's head from her shoulders.

For a moment, there was silence. Then:

"Damn," Catra finally said. "I'd always hoped I'd be the one to do that."

Adora smiled grimly, despite herself. "Guess that's one more way I showed you up."

"Eh, I'll let it go," Catra said with a shrug and a smirk. " _This_ time."

"Come on," Adora said, finally sheathing her sword and turning away from Shadow Weaver's corpse so she could help her friend. "Let's get out of here before more soldiers show up."

It took another moment for the two of them to find a steady pace, both still suffering the effects of Shadow Weaver's torture, but soon enough they were helping each other out of the room and into the corresponding corridor. Even in her half-conscious state, Catra couldn't help but admire the destruction she saw around her as Adora led the way out of the labyrinth.

"Wow, Adora, I'm almost impressed," she said with a half-smile as they passed an entire hallway filled with unconscious Horde soldiers. "You really didn't pull any punches, did you?"

"Not for you," Adora answered simply, still supporting Catra and focusing entirely on making their escape as quickly as possible. "Never for you."

By the time the two of them found their way out of the base and made it to Adora's (stolen) skiff, the alarm had been sounded and the entire Fright Zone was on high-alert. Not that it mattered; Adora and Catra had grown up in the Fright Zone, knew it inside and out, and it wasn't long before they were flying over the dunes of the Etherian desert and the towers of the Fright Zone were disappearing into the distance.

"There," Adora finally said after several minutes of navigating the skiff past the craggy rock formations that littered the desert terrain around the Fright Zone. She finally allowed herself a sigh of relief as she fixed the steering mechanism into place and activated the autopilot. "We should be in Bright Moon by morning."

"Yippee," Catra responded dryly from her half-collapsed position on the floor of the skiff. "I'm sure I'll be welcomed with open arms considering the last time I was there I tried to, you know, kill them all. How did you convince them to let you come save me on your own?"

"Yeah, about that…" Adora began as she practically collapsed next to her friend, just as exhausted as she. "I didn't exactly _tell_ anyone where I was going. Or that I was going at all."

"Wow, Adora," Catra said with a smirk. "Stealing a skiff and running off into the Fright Zone to rescue your greatest enemy? I must be rubbing off on you."

"You are _so_ not my greatest enemy," Adora retorted with a small smirk of her own.

"Oh, yeah, right, you haven't even _met_ Hordak!" Catra responded, elbowing Adora teasingly despite how much it still hurt to move. "And besides, with Shadow Weaver gone, there isn't much competition. Like it or not, you're stuck with me."

Adora simply chuckled before leaning her head back against the edge of the skiff, feeling the night wind on her face. It felt good, she thought, to be talking with Catra like this. It was almost like old times, just two childhood friends fighting over nothing at all. If only it were under better circumstances.

"Don't worry about the Rebellion," Adora finally said, closing her eyes as she tried to rest. "They'll listen to me. Where I go, you go. That'll be the deal. I _am_ She-Ra, after all. That _has_ to count for _something_."

With that, Adora reached over and took Catra's hand in her own, as though afraid of losing her all over again. She was pleasantly surprised when felt Catra intertwine their fingers in response, as if to say she wasn't going anywhere.

For a while, the two of them just lay there, holding hands and listening to the humming of the skiff as it flew over the seemingly endless sands. Both of them had experienced enough hardship for one evening, and were more than thankful for the opportunity to finally get some rest.

It was Catra who eventually broke the silence. She hated to do it, and knew Adora deserved the rest just as much as she, but the question in her mind was burning with an intensity unmatched even by the pain wracking her entire body, and she knew she would know no semblance of peace until it was answered.

"Hey, Adora?"

"Hm?"

"Did you really mean it?"

Adora opened her eyes and looked over at Catra questioningly. "Did I mean what?"

"What you said to Shadow Weaver," Catra reminded her, before averting her gaze. She spoke low and softly, almost as if she was embarrassed to do so. "Before you killed her, you said…you said I was the person you loved most in the world."

Adora blushed, almost as if she had forgotten she had said that at all. "O-Oh. _That_. Right."

"Did you mean it?" Catra repeated.

It took a moment for Adora to gather the strength to answer, but when she did, it was without any hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Yeah," she said at last. "I did. I _do_. That's why Shadow Weaver went after you…to get to me. She knew I would do anything for you, Catra. And she was right. I would."

Catra was silent for a moment or two as she processed this new information.

"You know, Adora," she finally said, "I'm starting to think you might have a crush on me."

Whatever tension may have hung in the air between the two immediately disappeared, and soon Adora and Catra were both laughing, truly laughing, for the first time in a long time. Each time one of them felt they were going to stop, all they had to do was look at the other, and the laughter would start right back up again.

Sure, it hurt to laugh, but it was a _good_ kind of hurt.

When the two had finally calmed down, they were lying noticeably closer to one another, with Catra resting her weary head on Adora's shoulder as they both looked up into the starry sky above. Adora absentmindedly found herself playing with Catra's tail, which had a mind of its own at the best of times, and kept wrapping itself around her arm affectionately.

"I'd do the same for you, you know," Catra spoke up at last.

"You have a very funny way of showing it," Adora said with a small smile. "Kidnapping my friends, invading Bright Moon, working for the enemy…"

"Oh, come on, Adora," Catra said with another smirk. "You know that's how I show affection. You love it."

Adora laughed lightly. "Yeah. I guess I do."

 _It's now or never_.

Slowly, fighting against the strain, Catra let go of Adora's hand and instead pushed herself up so she was half-sitting over her friend, looking into her blue eyes. Adora could only look right back into Catra's mismatched eyes as she felt Catra's hand gently slide behind her neck.

"Catra?" she asked at last, fighting the burning in her cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"Thanking you," Catra answered softly. "For never giving up on me."

Then Catra leaned in and kissed Adora, and all was suddenly right with the world. She no longer felt the pain and agony that had been wracking her body all night, and felt instead only Adora tensing up beneath her before finally relaxing, Adora slowly wrapping her own hands around Catra's neck, Adora finally leaning in and kissing her back.

For a moment, all of Adora's guilt and worries and insecurities melted away, and she shivered in pleasure as she felt Catra's lips pressed against her own.

For a moment, all of Catra's pain and angst and feelings of wrath disappeared, and she knew that so long as she had Adora, no matter where she was, she was home.

For a moment, Catra felt only Adora, and Adora felt only Catra.

Catra sank down into Adora's chest after their first kiss came to an end, and found herself almost mewling in delight as Adora placed a hand on her back, as if to keep her there. It wasn't long before Catra found she was purring and, for the first time in her entire life, she found it did not embarrass her. For once, what she had previously considered a weakness felt calming and natural. For once, it felt _right_.

Adora likewise closed her eyes and smiled as she felt Catra nuzzling into her chest, responding by gently rubbing her back in order to elicit further purring. Catra's tail found itself snaking its way around Adora's waist, and she shifted ever so slightly to better accommodate it. How long had it been, she wondered, since last she felt such peace? How long had it been since she had felt so perfectly _complete_?

"Don't think this changes anything, Adora," Catra finally said, lifting her head up ever so slightly so she could give Adora her best smirk. "You know I still totally hate you, right?"

"I know you do," Adora responded with a snarky smirk of her own. "Now shut up and kiss me again."

And Catra did just that.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think!**


End file.
